Indeed, Mr. Trump, who met with congressional Republican leaders on Wednesday, faces not only a committed Democratic opposition but a divided Republican Party.

Today’s episode of The Daily podcast examines the president’s speech to Congress, his call for unity and his promise to protect America. Listen from a computer, on an iOS device or on an Android device.

Groups that promote open government, aid refugees and often serve as checks on authoritarian governments are being targeted.

Organizations funded by George Soros, the liberal American billionaire, are facing particular ire, accused of working to flood Europe with Muslim refugees and transform “Christian” nations into multicultural stews of left-wing globalism.

The severe weather isn’t over yet. Forecasters said the Mid-Atlantic and Deep South were also at risk.

_____

Image

CreditRobyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

5. Snap Inc. is losing money, but its valuation was set at $24 billion on the eve of its arrival on the New York Stock Exchange, one of the biggest market debuts in years.

Shares of the Snapchat parent company were priced at $17, higher than expected in an indication of strong demand.

_____

Image

CreditMatthew Dodd/University College London, via Reuters

6. Scientists may have found the oldest signs of life on Earth. Or not.

Some researchers say ancient rocks in a remote geological outpost in Canada yielded bacteria fossils that could be up to 4.2 billion years old, relatively soon after the planet’s birth. Others are dubious — and vocal.

Such battles, an optimist observed, are “how science progresses.”

_____

Image

CreditJosep Lago/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

7. In a sign that the era of the starchitect may be over, a modest team of three architects won their profession’s highest honor: the Pritzker Prize.

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta set up shop in their hometown in Spain 30 years ago and are not well-known outside the country. Their major works include the Soulages Museum, in Rodez, France, and the Sant Antoni – Joan Oliver Library in Barcelona.

The award cited “their intensely collaborative way of working together, where the creative process, commitment to vision and all responsibilities are shared equally.”

We caught up with him at an outdoor cafe downtown, where he sipped green tea, fielded requests for money from a homeless man, and said: “I think people mistake bloody noses for big accomplishments. Maybe because I don’t draw blood, but we actually work well with people, that that is seen as cautious.”